HDFS 129 FINAL EXAM Study Guide Class Notes Dr Corneal Spring 2014 I Developmental tasks of adulthood levinson a Young old finding positive meaning in being older b Destruction creation becoming more aware of how we have acted in a harmful way toward others and trying to correct it c Masculinity feminity becoming more androgynous d Engagement separation resolving issues of work and family II What makes us happy a Family b Meaningful philosophy of life c Purposeful work d The 3 grand essentials of happiness are something to do someone to love and something to hope for Alexander Chalmer III Stability vs Change a Stability adult personality is relatively stable over time b Change adult personality is a continual process of change and growth c Do people change i 2000 40 year olds representative samplr ii Think about their personality 1 52 stayed the same 2 39 changed a little 3 9 changed a lot 4 91 felt personality was relatively stable d 5 stable personality OCEAN 1 Openness a imaginative or practical b Variety or routine c Independent or conforming 2 C onscientiousness a Carless or careful b Organized or disorganized 3 E xtraversion a Sociable or retiring b Fun loving or somber c Affectionate or reserved 4 A greeableness a Soft hearted or ruthless b Trusting or suspicious c Helpful or uncooperative 5 N euroticism a Calm or anxious b Secure or insecure c Self satisfied or self pitying In general o Agreeableness and conscientiousness increase in middle age o Neuroticism declines o Extraversion and openness either don t change or decrease slightly o Personality is responsive to life experiences change but that change exists within boundaries o These changes which have been verified cross culturally could be said to reflect a settling down or maturity o A person who scores high or low on a particular trait is likely to retain that standing throughout adulthood on exam I Strength of smile study marriage o Strength of smiles in old photographs can predict later success in o Score was based on the stretch in the muscle that pulls up the mouth and the muscle that creates wrinkles around the eyes Test one Yearbook photos Results none of the people who fell within the top 10 of smile strength had divorced while of the bottom 10 had divorced Test two people over age 65 provided photographs from their childhood Results 11 of the biggest smilers had divorced 31 of the weaker smilers had divorced o Speculation smilers have a more positive disposition towards life may o Results fit in to other findings that suggest predictions can be made from attract more friends etc thin slices of behavior II John Gottman University of Washington o Marital interaction assessment a videotaped 15 minute discussion by husband and wife o Specific Affect Coding System Monitored facial expression voice tone and body language Positive affect includes Humor affection validation and joy Negative affect includes Disgust contempt criticism belligerence domineering defensiveness whining tension fear anger and sadness Took physiological measures Heart rate pulse palmar skin conductance gross motor movement blood assays of immune response o 4 styles of interacting that predict divorce Criticism Attacking someone s character I involves blame and is global Complaining is NOT criticizing o According to Gottman complaining is good More than 80 of the time it is a woman who will bring up an issue in a relationship Defensiveness Denying responsibility Whining Cross complaining o Firing back with a different complaint o Yes BUT Contempt aka sarcasm The intention to belittle the other Found that a husbands contempt over time predicted the number of illnesses his wife had Can be very subtle Stonewalling Physically and or emotionally withdrawing from conflict I don t want to talk to you when you re angry o Use the excuse that talking while angry will make things worse Refusing to talk o A sure way to not resolve conflict o Try approaching gently o Gottman s Research Findings Men are more likely to stonewall Women are more likely to criticize When he stonewalls she will raise the intensity of criticism So he will stonewall more and so on and so on Gay and lesbian couples are best at communicating More of a tendency for males to be contemptuous No gender difference in defensiveness If you see your partner becoming upset try to soothe him or her o Gottman s suggestions Work on one problem at a time Take responsibility Be accountable Don t criticize complain instead Face problems head on FINAL TIP USE EMPATHY understanding precedes advice o Women feel the need to fix things Validate your partner s feelings Show genuine interest Communicate your understanding CO PARENTING I Co parenting according to academics a refers to the extent to which partners share leadership and support one another in their mutual roles as architects and heads of the family b A relationship that parents negotiate their respective roles c responsibilities and contributions to their children Refers to the ways that parents and or parental figures relate to each other the role of the parent II Our definition of co parenting a The way parents or parental figures share leadership by negotiating their respective roles as heads of the family b co parenting may be the most daunting yet significant experience that two adults share III Family systems theory IV Components of co parenting a Support a If you have a good quality relationship with your partner it is expected that you will have a good co parenting relationship i This is correlation not causation i Affirmation of the other s competency as a parent ii Acknowledging and respecting other s contributions iii Upholding other s parenting decisions and authority b Undermining i Criticism ii Blame iii Competition to gain authority over the other parent or to gain more affection from the child than the other c High support and low undermining linkages i Perceived parental self efficacy competence ii Child and adolescent behavior problems iii Authoritative parenting iv Lower parenting stress d Division of household labor i Division of duties tasks and responsibilities pertaining to childcare ii Mothers report that unequal distribution of household chores is the single most important trigger of conflict iii But what does equal mean here 1 Not 50 50 2 Equal means agreement on responsibilities e Child rearing beliefs i Moral values 1 What moral values they want their child raised with ii Behavioral expectations and discipline